Portland met Storm Large as she and her band, the Balls, served up lounge-y covers of pop tunes at Dante's on a weekly basis.

America met her on the most popular medium of all, television, as she belted (not battled) it out on "Rock Star: Supernova."

She lost -- arguably, unfairly. But in reality, humanely, considering such crowns typically turn into targets.

Maybe that's why on the cover of her new EP, "Ladylike Side One," recorded with the show's house band, she's wearing a tiara while sporting one heck of a battered eye. Inside, it's all Storm. She glides through dark ballads, cuts loose for the expletive-laden anthem "Ladylike," featuring "Rock Star" pal Dave Navarro on guitar, and doles out an ethereal version of the Pixies' "Where Is My Mind?"

Storm has already toured the East Coast and New Zealand. On Sunday she plays the Pride NW Festival here, and then she's taking her act up to Canada. In August, Storm will take on a new challenge, acting, as she handles the lead role of Sally Bowles in "Cabaret" at the Gerding Theater. She'll release a "Side Two" album early next year.